Colleges and universities all over the world face multiple challenges. These institutions need enlightened leaders and faculty who can guide various external audiences and internal constituencies toward new educational solutions to societal challenges. Our degrees provide students opportunities to study various subjects in the field of higher education, providing deep research-based understandings across a breadth of post-secondary education concerns. The Higher Education department (HED) mission is three-fold:

Prepare social justice professionals for careers in post-secondary education related to administration, policy, teaching and research, as well as careers in public and private agencies of higher education, for-profit and not-for-profit settings, and in a multicultural and changing world.

Provide meaningful service to the University of Denver and broader Colorado community in matters pertaining to post-secondary education, especially related to equity, diversity and social justice.

The Higher Education department is an “Inclusive Excellence Unit” (www.aacu.org) and supports the concept that inclusiveness and excellence are one and the same. That is, students and instructors from diverse social and cultural backgrounds who become part of the department all bring unique gifts, talents and experiences that make tremendous contributions to the teaching and learning climate of the Higher Education department.

Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education

Students in the 90-credit Doctor of Philosophy degree program gain knowledge and demonstrate competence through coursework designed to provide a strong foundation in the field of higher education and research methods. In addition, students broaden their scope of study through a wide range of elective possibilities. Students are required to complete the doctoral comprehensive exam (also known as the preliminary oral examination) near the end of coursework. The culminating requirement for the degree is a dissertation, defended in a final oral defense.

Doctor of Education in Higher Education

Students in the 65-credit Doctor of Education degree program gain knowledge through coursework and research experience. Competence is demonstrated by the successful completion and oral defense of a doctoral comprehensive exam, and the successful oral defense of the doctoral research project (DRP). It is expected that the DRP will be a publication quality project that investigates a key issue or problem important to the field of higher education. Upon completing the research project, students will be able to translate what they have learned into real-world applications, and offer practical and policy related recommendations.

Master of Arts in Higher Education

The 50-credit Higher Education master’s degree is designed to prepare professionals for administrative, leadership, student-centered, and/or policy-focused careers in post-secondary institutions, private and public agencies of higher education, and other educational settings. This generalist program enables students to explore the academic and practitioner-oriented issues related to post-secondary settings and to expand their experiential awareness through practical activities in administration, policy, and research. Elective coursework allows students to complete an optional emphasis in one of three areas: College Student Affairs, Diversity and Higher Learning, or Public Policy & Organizational Change. The final degree requirement is the successful completion of a capstone portfolio.

Admission Requirements

Transcripts: One official transcript from each post-secondary institution.

Master's degree

GRE: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency by the deadline. The institution code for the University of Denver is 4842.

Letters of Recommendation: Three (3) letters of recommendation are required. Letters should be submitted by recommenders through the online application.

Personal Statement: The Higher Education Department understands equity, diversity, and social justice as essential and fundamental concerns in the study, practice, and leadership of post-secondary education. Please provide a personal statement of academic and professional goals (1-2 pages, double-spaced). Include in your statement:

Research interests and professional objectives in the study of higher education.

Any personal, educational, and employment experiences that have shaped your research and professional interests in the study of higher education.

Expectations for how the PhD in Higher Education at the University of Denver specifically will support your research interests and professional objectives. Note: if there is a specific faculty member with whom you would like to work, based on your research interests, please mention and discuss in this statement.

Diversity Statement: Please provide a statement of equity, diversity, and social justice (1-2 pages, double-spaced). Include in your statement:

Your thoughts on the roles and opportunities for equity, diversity, and social justice in postsecondary institutions and/or higher education policy.

Any personal, academic, and/or professional experiences that have shaped your understanding and commitment to equity, diversity, and social justice in higher education.

Résumé: The résumé (or C.V.) should include work experience, research, and/or volunteer work.

Additional Standards for Non-Native English Speakers

Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) are required of all graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship status, whose native language is not English or who have been educated in countries where English is not the native language. The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/CAE test score requirements for the degree program are:

Minimum TOEFL Score (paper-based test): 550

Minimum TOEFL Score (internet-based test): 80

Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5

Minimum CAE Score: 169

English Conditional Admission Offered: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.

Additional Standards for International Applicants

Per Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulation, international applicants must meet all standards for admission before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued, [per U.S. Federal Register: 8 CFR § 214.3(k)] or is academically eligible for admission and is admitted [per 22 C.F.R. §62]. Read the Additional Standards For International Applicants policy for more details.

Financial Aid

There are many different options available to finance your education. Most University of Denver graduate students are granted some type of financial support. Our Office of Financial Aid is committed to helping you explore your options.

Admission Requirements

Transcripts: One official transcript from each post-secondary institution.

Master's degree

Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) letters of recommendation are required. Letters should be submitted by recommenders through the online application.

Personal Statement: The Higher Education Department understands equity, diversity, and social justice as essential and fundamental concerns in the study, practice, and leadership of postsecondary education. Please provide a personal statement of academic and professional goals (1-2 pages, doublespaced). Include in your statement:

Personal, educational, and employment experiences that have shaped your interest in the study of higher education.

Professional objectives and how you arrived at them.

Expectations for how the EdD in Higher Education at the University of Denver specifically will support your objectives.

Diversity Statement: Please provide a statement of equity, diversity, and social justice (1-2 pages, doublespaced). Include in your statement:

Your thoughts on the roles and opportunities for equity, diversity, and social justice in postsecondary institutions and/or higher education policy.

Any personal, academic, and/or professional experiences that have shaped your understanding and commitment to equity, diversity, and social justice in higher education.

Résumé: The résumé (or C.V.) should include work experience, research, and/or volunteer work.

Additional Standards for Non-Native English Speakers

Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) are required of all graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship status, whose native language is not English or who have been educated in countries where English is not the native language. The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/CAE test score requirements for the degree program are:

Minimum TOEFL Score (paper-based test): 550

Minimum TOEFL Score (internet-based test): 80

Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5

Minimum CAE Score: 169

English Conditional Admission Offered: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.

Additional Standards for International Applicants

Per Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulation, international applicants must meet all standards for admission before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued, [per U.S. Federal Register: 8 CFR § 214.3(k)] or is academically eligible for admission and is admitted [per 22 C.F.R. §62]. Read the Additional Standards For International Applicants policy for more details.

Financial Aid

There are many different options available to finance your education. Most University of Denver graduate students are granted some type of financial support. Our Office of Financial Aid is committed to helping you explore your options.

Admission Requirements

Transcripts: One official transcript from each post-secondary institution.

Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) letters of recommendation are required. Letters should be submitted by recommenders through the online application.

Personal Statement: The Higher Education Department understands equity, diversity, and social justice as essential and fundamental concerns in the study, practice, and leadership of postsecondary education. Please provide a personal statement of academic and professional goals (1-2 pages, doublespaced). Include in your statement:

Personal, educational, and employment experiences that have shaped your interest in the study of higher education.

Professional objectives and how you arrived at them.

Expectations for how the MA in Higher Education at the University of Denver specifically will support your objectives.

Diversity Statement: Please provide a personal statement of equity, diversity, and social justice (1-2 pages, doublespaced). Include in your statement:

Your thoughts on the roles and opportunities for equity, diversity, and social justice in postsecondary institutions and/or higher education policy.

Any personal, academic, and/or professional experiences that have shaped your understanding and commitment to equity, diversity, and social justice in higher education.

Résumé: The résumé (or C.V.) should include work experience, research, and/or volunteer work.

Additional Standards for Non-Native English Speakers

Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) are required of all graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship status, whose native language is not English or who have been educated in countries where English is not the native language. The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/CAE test score requirements for the degree program are:

Minimum TOEFL Score (paper-based test): 550

Minimum TOEFL Score (internet-based test): 80

Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5

Minimum CAE Score: 169

English Conditional Admission Offered: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.

Additional Standards for International Applicants

Per Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulation, international applicants must meet all standards for admission before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued, [per U.S. Federal Register: 8 CFR § 214.3(k)] or is academically eligible for admission and is admitted [per 22 C.F.R. §62]. Read the Additional Standards For International Applicants policy for more details.

Financial Aid

There are many different options available to finance your education. Most University of Denver graduate students are granted some type of financial support. Our Office of Financial Aid is committed to helping you explore your options.

Students will complete a minimum of 10 credits (3 or 4 courses) in Research Methods and Statistics.

HED Research Experience

6

The HED research requirement can be satisfied through any combination of the following, with advisor approval: Independent study (HED 5991) that focuses on research methodology or research practice; HED 4216 Research Processes; additional Research Methods & Statistics (or related) coursework; or internship experiences wherein research practice is a primary component of the internship (e.g., institutional research or policy analysis or program evaluation.)

Students will complete a minimum of 16 credits (four courses) to complete the elective requirement.

Cognate Courses

12

Students may design a 12 credit (3 or 4 courses) cognate, with advisor approval, or they may complete the coursework included in the folllowing cognates: College Teaching, Public Policy, or Research Methods & Methodologies

Total Credits Required

90

1

In order to maintain degree candidacy, MCE doctoral students who have finished all requested coursework will register for one dissertation or doctoral research credit or other credit for consecutive terms fall through spring (summers not required) until the student graduates.

A minimum of 90 credit hours is required beyond the earned master's degree. No credit hours from the earned master's degree can be transferred into the PhD.

Credit requirement will be met by completing a minimum of 12 credits (3 courses).

Total Credits Required

65

1

In order to maintain degree candidacy, MCE doctoral students who have finished all requested coursework will register for one dissertation or doctoral research credit or other credit for consecutive terms fall through spring (summers not required) until the student graduates.

A minimum of 65 credit hours is required beyond the earned master's degree. No credit hours from the earned master's degree can be transferred into the EdD.

Non-coursework requirements

Internship experience

Successful completion of a capstone portfolio

Courses

HED 3263 Sports and Higher Education (4 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the general history of college and university sports, athletics, intramurals, intramurals, and wellness programs as a broad introduction to this area; additional emphases center on issues related to intercollegiate sports e.g., athletic department positions, student-athlete support systems, ethical considerations, legal issues, politics and policies pertaining to institutional and NCAA norms/regulations, and current and future issues in collegiate athletics. Prerequisite: must be junior- or senior-level student.

This course is designed to give student a broad understanding of assessment in higher education. This course will improve student’s familiarity with existing assessment instruments for students, services, programs and facilities as well as provide an understanding importance of maintaining high standards of ethics and integrity in assessment of higher education and student affairs.

HED 4202 Program Evaluation in Higher Education (4 Credits)

This course is an overview of the craft of program evaluation, “…the systematic assessment of the operation and/or the outcomes of a program or policy, compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the improvement of the program or policy” (Weiss, 1998, p. 4). Program evaluation, simply put, is the craft of applying research methods in a thoughtful way to the task of finding out what and/or how interventions work in the context of the programs or policies in which they operate. This is accomplished by systematically investigating the effectiveness of program processes and outcomes within their political and organizational context. The goal is to inform social action and, by extension, improve conditions for program recipients and participants. Students in this course will explore program evaluation within the context of higher education. The purpose of this course is threefold: (1) Develop an understanding of existing evaluation theory and practice; (2) Apply evaluation theory and approaches to the context education evaluation; and (3) Develop an experiential base upon which to engage in evaluation in educational practice, and for many as a component of doctoral research projects.

HED 4210 Critical Higher Education (4 Credits)

This course examines the social and political context of U.S. education and provides an analysis of schooling, cultural politics, and global influences that inform current practices and structures of the higher education system. Central to this course is the development of a critical understanding of topics related to meritocracy, stratification, diversity, and decentralization in higher education. Prerequisite: Ph.D. student in higher education or permission of instructor.

HED 4211 Current Issues in Higher Ed (4 Credits)

A study of contemporary higher education as a specialized field of inquiry and as a professional area in which to work. Explores institutional missions as well as entities such as administration, faculty, curriculum, and student, in relationship to current issues.

This is an introductory course that gives students an overview of federal and state public policy, current issues, research methods, and practical skills required for the policy formation process. This is the introductory seminar to the Public Policy, Leadership and Organizational Change emphasis area for the master's program.

HED 4213 Leadership and Supervision (4 Credits)

General leadership theory and its implications for higher education; specific focus on leadership skills, such as conflict resolution, problem solving, use of teams and change advocacy.

HED 4214 History American Higher Ed (4 Credits)

Development of North American higher education from colonial times to the present, focusing on important educators and institutions.

The goal of this course is to prepare those who will serve in higher education with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to design curriculum and pedagogical strategies that produce effective and equitable learning outcomes for all students and adults in postsecondary settings. This course pushes students to think about curriculum and instruction as a decision-­‐making process that requires articulated goals, strategic alignment, and thoughtful planning in order to realize a more effective and inclusive pedagogy. Throughout the course students will come to understand the complexities of curriculum and teaching design, but also have the process clarified with a framework for choosing among different ways of teaching that result in significant and transformative learning experiences for their future students.

HED 4216 HED Research Processes (1-5 Credits)

Enables students to explore current research and theories associated with their scholarly interests and resources for doing research, and to address problems in conducting original inquiry and investigations in postsecondary education. Attention is directed to the investigation of a research problem of each student's interest. Prerequisite: Successful completion of 10 credit hours of research courses or permission of instructor.

HED 4217 Student Affairs Administration (4 Credits)

A review of student services, emphasis on programmatic content and relationship to student development; organization of student service programs and national trends. To further describe the historical development of student affairs work including significant persons and activities and to begin the development of students' own professional identities as a reflective practitioner and to understand the responsibilities for integrating assistantships/internships/work experiences to theory and new knowledge.

HED 4219 Introduction to Higher Education (4 Credits)

This course is designed to provide students an overview of higher education as a field of study and practice. The topics covered attempt to equip students with working knowledge of the structures, functions, challenges, concerns, and opportunities within higher education as a social institution. Grounded in values and principles of inclusive excellence, the course take equity and diversity as departure points from which any and all productive understandings of higher education must engage.

HED 4220 Org & Governance of Higher Ed (4 Credits)

Study of theoretical perspectives and empirical research drawn from the social sciences related to higher education organizations and governance with an emphasis on application of theory and practice.

Explores the important area of institutional research (IR) in a postsecondary setting. Issues relating to how an IR office functions and typical responsibilities of the professionals who staff these offices will be explored. Enrollment management concepts and themes will be highlighted along with data collection and reporting aspects of the college admissions and retention processes. Recommended prerequisites: HED 4213, HED 4217 and HED 4260 for master's students; HED 4213, HED 4220 for doctoral students.

HED 4226 The Community College (4 Credits)

General issues related to community college, such as history, mission, characteristics, students, curricula, teaching and student services.

HED 4229 Student Support in College (4 Credits)

This class will introduce students to basic interpersonal helping skills required in Higher Education settings, including relationship building, listening, giving feedback, problem-solving, and resolving conflicts. Students will become familiar with crisis intervention models and techniques; signs and symptoms of distress and mental illness; strategies for making appropriate referrals to mental health providers; and considerations about self and other when engaged in helping relationships, particularly those with cultural differences. Central to the course will be discussion of the appropriate role Higher Education professionals have in helping students while recognizing their limitations.

HED 4230 Inclusive Excellence in Capstone (1-6 Credits)

The purpose of this course is to promote the integration of the core curriculum with practitioner related experiences in the masters program. Advanced students have an opportunity to use concepts and theories learned in previously complete coursework to understand and analyze current issues facing student affairs. The course is also designed to assist students by facilitating the transition in to professional positions in higher education.

Introductory research methods course for higher education professionals, part II.

HED 4235 Organizational Change (4 Credits)

This course will focus on designing, implementing, and evaluating effective change in higher education through an equity-minded lens. The course is intended to assist students in developing a set of understandings in how to plan and implement change in higher education organizations, institutions, and as an industry. The course will introduce “equity-minded change” in higher education and will focus on how institutions can change to achieve equity, while addressing the importance of managing organizational development on a macro and micro level in higher education institutions and organizations. Students will acquire tools to manage and understand change through structural, political, human resource, and symbolic perspectives to understand the systemic interrelationships among these factors to effectively meet the changing socio/economic/political environments within higher education as they impact student success.

HED 4242 Educational Policy Analysis (4 Credits)

Students in this experiential course will develop critical policy analysis and Praxis skills that have relevance for the implementation of public policy and finance strategies for higher education. Students will employ critical thinking skills to analyze, evaluate and interpret public policy and finance with the goal of advancing the field of higher education’s understanding of effective public policy and finance, as well as the unintended consequences that may arise with various policy solutions and funding strategies. Specifically, students will learn how to evaluate whether public policy and finance hinders or assists post-secondary institutions and their leaders in dismantling systemic oppression while promoting educational equity and opportunity and strengthening the public purposes of higher education. Students will interact directly with public policymakers, post-secondary administrators, policy researchers and policy analysts while assisting with a quarter-long experiential policy analysis project with an intermediary public policy organization. Students will also develop a policy analysis paper.

HED 4246 Issues of Access & Opportunity (4 Credits)

This course addresses theories and research on a variety of issues related to college preparation, school structures, and inequalities in college access. The course will cover different levels of analyses: theoretical, individual levels (i.e., race, ethnicity, and social class), organizational levels (family, geography, high school context, and outreach), and field levels (i.e., policy, testing, rankings, media, and policy). Special attention will be paid to the sociocultural context influencing issues of college access and opportunity for students.

This course introduces students to relevant research, theory, and practice related to college student retention and persistence. Students explore cultural, institutional, and individual factors that may impact college student persistence and critically examine theories attempting to explain why students leave college. In addition, students also closely explore the dynamics of oppression at the individual, institutional, and socio-cultural levels and the resulting impact on student retention. Effective retention practices, programs, and assessment procedures are also identified and examined.

HED 4260 Students and College Environments (4 Credits)

This course will serve as an introduction to college environments and the complexity of campus and culture. The purpose of this course is to familiarize you with today’s higher education settings and provide you with strategies to maximize learning and development, for all students. In line with inclusive excellence, attention will be paid to the impact of campus environments on diverse student populations. Theoretical concepts will help explain, describe, and examine the college environments as a system and its impact on students, faculty, and staff.

HED 4261 College Student Development Theory (4 Credits)

An overview of human development theories relevant to college students, of traditional and non-traditional ages. This application will enhance the ability of student affairs professionals as they work to maximize the affective and cognitive development of students within the college setting.

HED 4264 Psychosocial Dimens of Sport (3 Credits)

Psychology and sociology of sports as related to college and university athletics and wellness. Cross listed with HED 3264.

HED 4270 Student Affairs Internship (1-6 Credits)

HED 4281 Inclusive Excellence Programming and Development (4 Credits)

IE in Programming and Development will provide an overview related to the development and implementation of cultural programming and cultural centers over time. This course will pay specific attention to the role of student activism in creating change on college campuses in the form of cultural programming, centers, diversity curriculum, and inclusive excellence initiatives. The course will also address the challenges and competencies associated with inclusive excellent programming and development.

HED 4282 Characteristics of College Students (3 Credits)

Characteristics to consider in working with adult learners, including aptitude, motivation, cognitive development, psycho-social development, intelligence, learning styles, gender, ethnicity and social class; practice in analyzing learning characteristics of a specific individual.

HED 4284 Inclusive Excellence in Organizations (4 Credits)

In recent years, major demographic and economic changes in this country and worldwide have contributed to the diversification of the workplace. As a result, the need for understanding how to enhance cultural diversity in organizations has taken on a greater importance. Accordingly, framed through the concept of Inclusive Excellence, this course focuses on the changing demographics of our society, especially related to race and culture, gender, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status, emphasizing the implications these factors have for leadership and management in a variety of organizational settings.

HED 4287 Critical Race Theory and Education (3 Credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth exposure to Critical Race Theory (CRT) as it pertains to education. Critical Race Theory is an analytical framework that provides race-based epistemological, methodological, and pedagogical approaches to the study of everyday inequalities in P-20 education.

HED 4288 Gender & Sexual Orientation in Education (4 Credits)

The purpose of this class is to explore the implications of sexual orientation or gender inequality for P-20 education. Feminist theory and queer serve as the foundational theoretical frameworks for this class. Through these theoretical lenses, the course examines the complex ways gender and sexual orientation are related to identity development, curriculum, academic policies, and school climate.

HED 4289 Race and Racism in Higher Education (4 Credits)

This course explores connections between race, racialization, and racism in American higher education. It draws on historical, political, economic, and cultural explanations of racial inequity in educational outcomes and processes. The course uses institutional and systemic levels of analysis to examine racial equity in higher education.

HED 4290 Inclusive Excellence in Praxis (1-6 Credits)

This course assesses and helps students develop critical self-reflection, leadership, and communication skills. Career plans are developed based on personal, academic, and professional goals. An emphasis is placed on applying theories discussed within the classroom to their respective professional roles on campus. Introductory course for all first-year master's students. This course combines the professional development seminar and practicum.

HED 4291 Doctoral Professional Development Seminar (1-3 Credits)

This course is designed to introduce the first year doctoral students to the field and discipline of Higher Education and to prepare doctoral students for their academic study.

HED 4294 Seminar in Higher Education (1-4 Credits)

Advanced seminar to examine timely topics, issues, and problems. The course description is developed each time the course is offered to describe the topics to be investigated.

HED 4295 Internship in College and University Administration (1-6 Credits)

Supervised experience in administration at college or university level.

HED 4296 Internship in Public Policy (1-6 Credits)

Supervised experience in postsecondary public policy analysis or research, usually at a state or national compact or agency in the Denver-Boulder area. Recommended prerequisites: HED 4210, HED 4211, HED 4212, HED 4221, HED 4242, HED 4243.

HED 4297 Internship in College Teaching (1-6 Credits)

Supervised experience in teaching at college level.

HED 4991 MA Independent Study (1-10 Credits)

HED 4992 Directed Study (1-10 Credits)

HED 4995 Research - M.A. Thesis (1-10 Credits)

HED 5991 PhD Independent Study (1-10 Credits)

HED 5992 Directed Study (1-10 Credits)

HED 5993 Doctoral Research - EdD (1-20 Credits)

Doctoral research credits for doctoral research project toward the EdD. Prerequisite: Must be an EdD student in HED; must have completed at least 80% of coursework; cannot complete more than five credit hours of HED 5993 prior to passing the comprehensive exam.